Team Grades: Lackluster Patriots Offense Leads To OT Loss Against Jets
By Gregory Hunt
The New England Patriots missed out on an opportunity to clinch home field advantage for the AFC playoffs when they lost to the New York Jets 26-20 in overtime Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The Patriots can still clinch home field advantage in Week 17 with a win at Sun Life Stadium over the Miami Dolphins, but if the Patriots lose that game, the winner of the Monday night game at Sports Authority Field between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos will be able to take over the No. 1 seed with a Week 17 win.
Offense: D
After scoring only two offensive touchdowns in last week's win over the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots scored only one offensive touchdown against the Jets, and that lack of production cost them the game. Although New England converted all three fourth-down plays while coming back from a 14-point deficit to force overtime, the Patriots converted only one of 10 plays on third down.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski led the team with 86 receiving yards on four catches, but he didn't appear to be expecting the ball on one play in the third quarter, and that allowed former Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis to make an interception. The offensive line struggled to keep the pass rush at bay, particularly after New England lost tackle Sebastian Vollmer and his replacement LaAdrian Waddle to injury. Newly-acquired running back Steven Jackson was a non-factor, gaining only 15 yards on seven carries. Overall, the Patriots gained only 2.9 yards per carry on 22 rushing plays.
Defense: C-
The Jets employed a running-back-by-committee strategy that was remarkably effective against the Patriots. Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory and former Patriot Stevan Ridley combined for 130 yards rushing, and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick added 13 rushing yards of his own. New England yielded 5.3 yards per play on 27 rushes.
The success of the running game allowed the Jets to make several big plays downfield, as the Patriots allowed three different receivers to make catches of 25 yards or more. Cornerback Logan Ryan had a particularly tough time covering wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who caught eight passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Even former Patriot wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins caught four passes for 27 yards against New England before leaving the game with an injury.
The only big play by the New England defense came on a strip sack by defensive end Jabaal Sheard in the third quarter. The fumble was recovered and returned for a touchdown by linebacker Jamie Collins. It was the second week in a row that New England had scored a defensive touchdown.
Special Teams: A
New England's kicking game was solid. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski made five touchbacks on six kickoffs, and he nailed both field goals and both extra points. Two of punter Ryan Allen's four punts were downed inside the Jets 20-yard line. The coverage team didn't allow any significant returns. One of wide receiver Keshawn Martin's kickoff returns went for 27 yards, and one of his punt returns went for 15 yards.
Coaching: Letter Grade
The one coaching decision that will be dissected over the next few days will be the decision to kick the ball after winning the overtime coin toss. This is a rare move, but one that seems a more-reasonable strategy now that a field goal on the first drive of overtime no longer ends the game (this rule was established for postseason games in 2010, then extended to the regular season in 2012). In this instance, the strategy backfired because the Jets took the kick and drove 80 yards for a game-winning touchdown, but the New England defense hadn't given up a touchdown in the previous five possessions.
Because New England failed to clinch home field advantage this week, that forces the team to play its full starting lineup next week against the Dolphins. One consolation is that the Patriots have already clinched a first-round bye, so they will have an opportunity to recover from some of their injuries no matter what happens in Miami, but the team can't afford to put itself in a position where it needs to go on the road for an AFC Championship game.
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
